Mango was formally revealed at the end of May, but it’ll be several months before the final version rolls out. Microsoft was said to be reluctant to fire out Mango at this early stage, with concerns about developers being able to revert to the stability of NoDo.

However, it appears to have punched those fears in the face, as Mango is now on its way – via invitation to update – to registered Windows Phone 7 devs.

As well as the software update, Microsoft is dishing out WP7 handsets with Mango preinstalled. Its DreamSpark program aims to lure college kids into WP7 development, with 50 Mango-rocking phones up for grabs.

Windows Phone 7 will receive a much-needed jolt when Mango arrives later in the year. It’s said to have over 500 new features. Nokia is expected to arrive at the WP7 party at around the same time.